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Modi to inaugurate big ticket projects in poll-bound Gujarat tomorrow

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9 years ago

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Election Commission, which has drawn flak for not delay in announcing Gujarat assembly poll schedule, likely to declare election dates by Wednesday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in poll-bound Gujarat on Sunday – his third visit to his home-state this month – to inaugurate several big-ticket projects and lay the foundation stones for several others in Bhavnagar and Vadodara districts. The visit is a clear attempt by the Prime Minister to endear voters to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) before the Election Commission announces the schedule for the impending Gujarat Assembly polls, something that the poll panel had deferred earlier this month for inexplicable reasons.

The most crucial project that Modi is set to inaugurate during the day-long visit is the first phase of the Rs 615-crore ‘roll-on, roll-off (ro-ro)’ ferry service between Ghogha in Bhavnagar and Dahej in Bharuch. The ferry service through the Gulf of Cambay, which the Prime Minister has often hailed as his dream project, is expected to drastically reduce the distance and travelling time between the two towns from 310 kilometres by road to just 30 kilometres. The foundation stone of this ferry project had been laid by Modi in January 2012, when he was the chief minister of Gujarat.

The Prime Minister is also scheduled to address a mammoth gathering in Ghogha, during which he is also likely to announce some other sops for the state, before he undertakes a journey to Dahej in the ferry’s maiden ride.

Modi will then leave for Vadodara where he will inaugurate and lay foundation stones for eight projects worth an estimated Rs 1140 crore. Vadodara was one of the two constituencies that Modi had contested the Lok Sabha polls from in May 2014, the other being Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Though he had defeated his nearest rival, Congress’ Madhusudan Mistry by a record margin of 5.70 lakh votes from Vadodara, Modi had surrendered the seat after becoming Prime Minister and retained Varanasi as his Lok Sabha constituency from where he had won by a margin of 3.71 lakh against Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal.

Vadodara Municipal Commissioner Vinod Rao said that during his visit to the district, Modi will dedicate to the people a slew of civic infrastructure projects including a Rs 100-crore city command and control centre in Badamadi Garden, Rs 125-crore Janmahal city transport hub and multi-level parking project, a Rs 160 crore multi-modal city transport hub and a Rs 267 crore waste-to- energy processing plant. Other projects to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister in Vadodara include a Rs 166-crore water treatment plant, two flyovers collectively worth Rs 265 crore, a Rs 55-crore deer safari park, and a Rs 6-crore veterinary hospital.

On his last visit to Vadodara on October 22 last year, Modi had inaugurated a new building for the city’s airport terminal.

Modi is also scheduled to address a public rally at Navlakhi compound in Vadodara.

This is the third visit of the Prime Minister to his poll-bound home state this month. He had visited Gandhinagar on Monday to address BJP workers at the Gujarat Gaurav Mahasammellan when he hit out at the Congress party for “insulting Gujarat and Gujarati pride”. Prior to that, Modi had visited his home town of Vadnagar on October 8 and also inaugurated and laid foundation stones of various projects in Rajkot, Vadnagar, Gandhinagar, and Bharuch.

In September, Modi along with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe had visited Ahmedabad to lay the foundation stone for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project. Days later, the Prime Minister, in an event coinciding with his 67th birthday on September 17, he had dedicated the controversial Sardar Sarovar Dam on river Narmada to the nation.

The Prime Minister’s apparent rush to inaugurate projects in Gujarat in quick succession while also laying the foundation stones for several others is an evident attempt at influencing voter sentiments in his home-state that is scheduled to go to polls in December.

The Congress party has, over the past few days, been unwavering in its criticism of the Election Commission for delaying the announcement of the poll schedule for Gujarat and has alleged that the move by the poll panel was aimed at allowing the BJP and Modi to announce several sops and projects for the state to woo the electorate.

Earlier this week, Congress veteran P Chidambaram had taken a dig at both, Prime Minister Modi and the Election Commission for the delay in the announcement of the Gujarat poll dates.

In a series of tweets, Chidambaram had said:[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By deferring its announcement on the Gujarat polls, EC had broken with the convention of announcing simultaneous polls for state assemblies whose terms end within six months of each other, since it had gone ahead with making the declaration for the Himachal Pradesh elections, scheduled for November 9. While the tenure of the incumbent Himachal assembly is set to end on January 7, the term for Gujarat Vidhan Sabha ends on January 27.

Besides the Congress and other Opposition parties, even former chief election commissioners like SY Quraishi and TS Krishnamurthy had criticised the poll panel’s decision.

Sources in the poll panel said that the dates for the Gujarat assembly polls are now likely to be announced by Wednesday and that the state may witness a two-phase election. The result for the Himachal and Gujarat assembly polls, however, is likely to be announced simultaneously on December 18.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Uddhav Sena MPs unreachable as Delhi meetings fuel fresh split speculation

Fresh uncertainty surrounds Shiv Sena (UBT) after several MPs reportedly became unreachable, with attention now focused on crucial meetings in Delhi.

Published

6 hours ago

on

June 17, 2026

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Fresh political uncertainty has gripped the Shiv Sena (UBT) after several of its Lok Sabha MPs reportedly became unreachable, prompting senior leaders to make personal efforts to contact them amid growing speculation of a possible rebellion within the party.

Party chief Uddhav Thackeray and other senior leaders are understood to be reaching out to MPs as concerns grow over potential defections. The developments come ahead of a parliamentary committee meeting in Delhi, where several MPs from the Uddhav Thackeray camp are expected to gather.

Reports suggest that some MPs from the Shiv Sena (UBT) faction could hold discussions in the national capital alongside leaders from the rival Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde. Sources have indicated that a group of MPs may explore forming a separate faction in Parliament before potentially aligning with the Shinde-led camp, although no official announcement has been made.

Names being discussed in political circles include MPs such as Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, Omraje Nimbalkar, Bhausaheb Wakchaure and Sanjay Jadhav. However, at least one MP, Sanjay Dina Patil, has publicly rejected reports linking him to any rebel group.

Meanwhile, senior Uddhav camp leaders including Arvind Sawant and Anil Desai are expected to remain actively engaged in efforts to maintain party unity. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut has also been in Delhi amid the unfolding developments.

The latest episode has revived memories of previous political upheavals in Maharashtra and intensified speculation over whether the Shiv Sena (UBT) could face another significant organisational challenge in the coming days. As meetings continue in Delhi, political observers will be closely watching for any formal announcements from either camp.

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Abhishek Banerjee says will not bow to BJP after nearly 11 hours of ED questioning

After spending nearly 11 hours before the Enforcement Directorate, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee said he would not bow to the BJP and accused the ruling party of using investigative agencies for political purposes.

Published

1 day ago

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June 16, 2026

By

Abhishek Banerjee

Trinamool Congress leader and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday said he would not bow to the BJP after spending nearly 11 hours being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an ongoing investigation.

Speaking after the questioning, Banerjee alleged that central agencies were being used to target opposition leaders and asserted that he would continue his political fight despite what he described as sustained pressure.

The TMC leader has repeatedly maintained that investigations involving him are politically motivated, a charge he has made on several previous occasions while appearing before central agencies.

His appearance before the ED comes amid a period of heightened political activity and multiple investigations involving leaders in West Bengal. Recent days have also seen Banerjee face summons and questioning in separate matters by state investigative agencies.

After leaving the ED office, Banerjee reiterated that he would not be intimidated and said he remained committed to his political responsibilities. He also accused the BJP of attempting to weaken opposition parties through investigative action, an allegation that the BJP has rejected in the past.

The Enforcement Directorate has not publicly commented on Banerjee’s remarks. The investigation related to the questioning remains ongoing.

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DMK attacks Rahul Gandhi, accuses him of weakening opposition unity

DMK has intensified its criticism of Rahul Gandhi, alleging that the Congress leader’s actions have weakened opposition unity and strained relations within the INDIA bloc.

Published

1 day ago

on

June 16, 2026

By

Rahul-Gandhi

The war of words between the DMK and Congress has intensified, with the DMK launching a strong attack on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and accusing him of contributing to divisions within the opposition alliance. The criticism comes amid strained ties between the two parties following their political split in Tamil Nadu.

According to the DMK, Rahul Gandhi’s political approach has weakened unity among opposition parties. The party’s IT wing mocked the Congress leader on social media, while an editorial published in the DMK’s official mouthpiece Murasoli questioned his recent remarks on opposition solidarity.

DMK questions Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on opposition unity

In its editorial, Murasoli argued that Rahul Gandhi was speaking about opposition unity despite, according to the DMK, contributing to disagreements among alliance partners in several states. The publication cited criticism directed at Congress by various opposition parties and suggested that the party’s actions had often created tensions within the INDIA bloc.

The editorial also referred to past political disputes involving Congress and Left parties, particularly in Kerala, claiming such episodes had raised concerns among opposition allies about Congress’s approach toward its partners.

Tamil Nadu political fallout adds to tensions

The attack comes after a major political realignment in Tamil Nadu. Following the 2026 Assembly elections, Congress ended its alliance with the DMK and joined the government led by Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). The move left the DMK in the opposition and significantly altered the political equation between the two former allies.

The DMK has alleged that Congress benefited from the alliance during the election and later abandoned its partner. The party’s editorial questioned whether assurances from Congress leadership would be trusted by alliance partners after the developments in Tamil Nadu.

Congress rejects allegations

Congress has not issued a detailed official response to the editorial, but party sources have rejected the allegations. According to the party, its decisions in Tamil Nadu were made in line with the mandate delivered by voters and were not intended to undermine either the DMK or the broader opposition alliance.

The latest exchange highlights growing strains between two key opposition parties even as leaders continue to stress cooperation on national issues. Just days earlier, Rahul Gandhi had said that the DMK remained aligned with the opposition on defending the “idea of India” despite political differences.

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